Website customer support and sales support has traditionally been accomplished by providing website visitors with a telephone number that the visitors call to reach an agent of the website to discuss the needs of the visitor. While telephone communication remains a valid option for website customer support and sales support, some visitors prefer a somewhat less intrusive method of communication for accessing customer support or sales support, such as email or chat systems.
Chat systems enable an agent of a website, such as a sales agent or a support agent, and a visitor of the website to send short text messages back and forth using chat windows. For example, a visitor can use a traditional chat window to solicit additional information about a product that is offered for sale on the website before purchasing the product. A visitor can also use a traditional chat window to solicit help with a problem with a product that the visitor previously purchased from the website.
Unfortunately, existing chat systems do not provide an agent with the same tools possessed by agents in traditional brick-and-mortal retail stores. For example, existing chat systems do not allow a sales agent to “size up” the visitor or the product as is possible in a face-to-face sales pitch. Instead, existing chat systems limit the interaction between a sales agent and a visitor to a text chat interaction. This limitation to a text chat interaction inhibits the type and quantity of information that can be conveyed between the sales agent and the visitor and thereby inhibits the sales agent's ability to sell products to the visitor.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.